In recent years, World Wide Web (Web) applications operating on a Web browser have been researched and developed. The Web application can be used over a network via the Web browser without installing a program in a computer, which is to be a client. Patent Literature (PTL) 1 discusses the Web application described above.
The Web application has been developed along with the spread of the “cloud computing technique” for providing via the network IT services that have been conventionally provided by being incorporated in each client personal computer (PC). Along with the spread of the cloud computing technique, functions and usability of the Web application have become similar to those of document management software and spreadsheet software of incorporation type that need to be installed. Such kinds of Web applications are expected to become more popular in the future.
To print document data created by the current Web application, printing is performed as follows. Upon receiving input of a print instruction from a user, the Web application converts the document data into a printable data in the portable document format (PDF) and transmits the converted data to the client via the network. The Web browser on the client receives the transmitted PDF data, and then notifies the user of reception of the data. Upon receiving the notification, the user activates the PDF program to open and read the PDF data.
Along with more print instructions input by the user, the PDF program transmits a drawing instruction to a printer driver. The printer driver converts the drawing instruction into the page description language (PDL) format that a printer can interpret, and then transmits the converted data to the printer as a print job.